The call to care
How ASU builds stronger communities from the ground up
Editor’s note: This story was featured in a special Tucson edition of ASU Thrive magazine.
Albert Einstein said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
It’s a philosophy that Vanessa Seaney, ’92 MSW, chief of behavioral health and integration at El Rio Health, practices every day as a social worker. Her career spans nearly four decades of service as a case manager, therapist, health leader and mentor.
However, before pursuing any of those roles, the Tucson native was a Master of Social Work student at ASU in the early 1990s, completing much of her coursework in the city she called home.
That’s because more than 50 years ago, the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions started offering School of Social Work courses in Tucson, and for the first time, students could prepare for a career in public service without leaving their communities.
An accessible social work degree
Today, Tucson-based ASU students can complete both undergraduate and graduate social work degrees in person. Not only do they avoid the challenges of relocating or commuting to Phoenix but they can also work in the field locally before they even finish their degree.
This is thanks to numerous partnerships with local agencies. This year, 75 are hosting ASU students, and in the spring semester alone, generated nearly 59,000 hours of service in southern Arizona. One of those partners is El Rio Health, which serves the Tucson area as a nonprofit health center.
In addition to mentorship and supervision in traditional clinical settings, interns have an opportunity to be embedded in integrated health care settings and in El Rio’s mobile medical and behavioral health outreach teams to help provide care to the unhoused population.
Read more HERE.